Systems Thinking and Quantitative Finance with Wes Gray

In this episode, Brock speaks with Wes Gray. Wes is a former Marine intel officer and currently the founder and CEO of alpha architect. This episode might double as an intro to financial markets. We talk about what quantitative investing is, and how that differs from the famous stock pickers, like Warren Buffett. We talk about systems based thinking, where and why that's relevant. And we also talk about the future of investing and how to use our strengths to best play into that. Episode Resources: Alpha Architect website: https://alphaarchitect.com/ Show Notes: 00:00 Episode Introduction 01:21 What Wes is most proud of 04:02 What you do after school and the benefits of being young and dumb when it comes to work 11:06 Most impactful experience from the Marines 14:59 System 1 and 2 Thinking 22:42 Personal finance advice for young service members 28:42 Wes' first stock and getting started investing 33:32 Quantitative investing introduction 42:01 Macro and technology risks to quant investing 48:16 Relationship between value and momentum 54:02 Why all investing is front running 01:00:12 Popularity of quant investing and what the next 5-10 years look like 01:06:49 Starting Alpha Architect 01:12:51 Entrepreneurship and the doors it opens to new adventures 01:18:57 Building ETF Architect and sources for business today 01:28:03 Twitter Q&A -- The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military. The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service. Follow along: • Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/74-systems-thinking-and-quantitative-finance-with-wes-gray/ • Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/